Centrifugal extracting and washing machine



Jan. 1, 1957 F. H. BURRIS 2,775,383

CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTING AND WASHING MACHINE Filed March 5Q, 1953 3 Sheets-Shem 1 c cam o ATTOR NEYS Jan. 1, 1957 BURRls 2,775,883

CENTRIF'UGAL. EXTRACTING AND WASHING MACHINE Filed March 50, 1953 5 Sheeis-Sheer 2 I07 HI I07 109 lol IOO INVENTOR. 74 7o fie/INK flBz/BE/S ATTORNEYS Jan. 1, 1957 F. H. BURRIS 2,775,883

CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTING AND WASHING MACHINE Filed March 30, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I INVENTOR. FRANK/97. Base/s ATTORNEYS United States Patent CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTING AND WASHING MACHINE Frank H. Burris, Benton Harbor, Mich, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Whirlpool-Seeger Corporation, St. Joseph, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application March 30, 1953, Serial No. 345,411

11 Claims. (Cl. 68--23) This invention relates to improvements in automatic washing and extracting machines wherein the clothes are washed by oscillatable movement of an agitator and water is extracted from the clothes by spinning of the clothes container.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a novel means for reducing vibrations in centrifugal washing and extracting machines releasable when the loads thereof are balanced and the machine reaches its critical speed.

A further object of my invention is to provide an automatic washing and extracting machine of a novel design wherein water extracted from the clothes is released from the bottom of the clothes container so as to avoid the carrying of sand and dirty water upwardly through the clothes.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a novel seal construction between the stationary tub and rotatable clothes container mounted therein arranged to prevent the leaking of water from the tub around the connection between the tub and clothes container.

A further and more detailed object of my invention is to provide a centrifugal extractor for extracting water from clothes and the like, wherein the extractor is supported on and rotatably driven from an upright shaft, and wherein means are provided to dampen vibration of the shaft and clothes container during the extracting operation, which is releasable by centrifugal action when the clothes container reaches a critical speed of rotation.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved form of vibration dampening means for the centrifugal extractor for a laundry machine, having centrifugally actuated weights releasing the vibration dampening means upon balancing of the load in the clothes container when the clothes container attains its critical speed of rotation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simplified form of float for shutting ofi the electrical circuit to the filling valve for the machine and stop filling of the clothes container by the action of water under the float.

These and other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through a laundry machine constructed in accordance with my invention, with certain parts removed and certain other parts shown in section in order to more clearly illustrate the operating relationship of the several parts of the apparatus embodying the novel teachings and principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken through the drive to the clothes container and showing the vibration dampening means in an engaged position;

Figure 3 is a view somewhat similar to Figure 2 but showing the vibration dampening mechanism in a released position;

Figure 4 ,is a fragmentary plan view lookingtoward the bottom of the clothes container, with certain parts thereof broken away and certain other parts shown in horizontal section, in order to illustrate certain details of the release mechanism for the vibration dampening means, not shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken through the dumping valve for dumping water from the laundry machine tub during the operation of extracting water from the clothes therein.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings I have shown a combination washing and centrifugal extracting machine 10, which comprises generally a cabinet 11 having a tub 12 in the upper portion thereof and having a lower compartment 13 for a motor 14, and the mechanism driven therefrom for spinning a clothes container 15 rotatably mounted within said tub, and for oscillatably driving an agitator 16 mounted within said clothes container on an agitator drive shaft 17.

The cabinet 11 is shown as having a base 19 having a center recessed socket 20, depending therefrom and having a flanged resilient bushing 21 mounted therein and forming a socket for a hollow depending boss 22 of a bracket member 23. The boss 22 is shown as having a bearing sleeve 24 therein for the lower end portion of the vertical agitator drive shaft 17. Vertical end thrust for the shaft 17, is shown as being taken on a, bearing 25, herein shown as being inthe form of a ball.

The lower portion 13 of the cabinet 11 is also shown as being reinforced by angles 26 and 27 extending vertically along an inner wall thereof. Legs 28 suitably mounted on the lower ends of the angles 27 support the cabinet 10 on the floor. The legs 28, 28 may be adjustable to afford a means for leveling the cabinet 10 with respect to the floor. The means for adjusting the legs may be of any well known form and is no part of my invention so is not herein shown or described.

The tub 12 terminates into an annular bottom wall 29 forming the top of the lower compartment 13 of the cabinet 11. The annular bottom wall 29 is shown as having a flanged portion 30 of a collar 31 secured thereto and sealed thereto and to the bottom of the clothes container 15, to provide a water tight joint between said clothes container and tub, as will hereinafter more clearly appear. The flanged portion 30 of the collar 31 is shown as extending radially from a generally spherical downwardly opening annular flanged section 32 terminating at its inner margin into the collar 31. The collar 31 is shown as being spaced radially from a depending hub 34 of a bottom plate 35 of the tub 15, and shown as being secured to the inner end portion of an inwardly extending annular bottom 36 of the clothes container and as being sealed thereto as will now be described.

The tub 11 is sealed to the clothes container 15 to prevent the loss of water from the tub around the hub 34 by means of a flexible sealing boot 49. The sealing boot &9 is shown as having a thickened central annular portion 5% encircling the hub 34 and engaged with a bearing member 51 engaging an annular under surface of the plate 35. A compression spring 53, herein shown as being a conical spring is provided to engage said annular portion with said bearing, and said bearing member with i the bottom of the plate 35. The spring 53 is shown as being seated at its lower end on ears 55, 55 extending inwardly from the collar 34, and as being seated within the thickened annular portion 53 at its upper end, and pressing said annular portion into engagement with the bearing 51 and also pressing the bearing 51 into engagement with the bottom of the tub. The boot 49 extends radially outwardly from the thickened annular portion 50 and then curves inwardly in a bellows-like form to accommodate movement of the clothes container with respect to the tub 11 about a plurality of trans verse axes. The boot 49 is also provided with a generally cylindrical depending portion 57 extending downwardly along the collar 32 and secured thereto as by snap ring 59 pressing the boot into sealing engagement with a recess 60 formed in the collar 32.

The bottom of the clothes container 15 is sealed around the shaft 17 by means of a sealing member 40. The sealing member 40 encircles the shaft 17 and engages the upper surface of a boss 41 projecting upwardly from the plate 35. A spring 43 interposed between the under surface of a drive member 44 having the agitator 16 mounted thereon, and the seal 40, is provided to maintain the seal in sealing engagement with the top of the boss 41 around the shaft 17.

The drive member 44 may be of an irregular formation engageable with a socket 45 formed in the bottom of the agitator 16 for reciprocably driving the same.

The agitator 16 is shown as a well known form of vane type of oscillating agitator, and is retained to the drive member 44 by means of a rod 46 threaded on the upper end of the shaft 17 and extending upwardly therefrom through the top of the agitator and having a nut 47 threaded on the upper end thereof and engaging the top of the agitator.

The clothes container 15 is shown as being a well known form of tapered clothes container tapering outwardly toward its u er end, and having a row af aligned apertures 63, 63 adjacent its bottom, accommodating the discharge of water during the operation of centrifugally extracting water from the clothes in said clothes container. The apertures 63, 63 are shown as being closed by a flexible band 65, encircling the bottom portion of the tub. The band 65 may be made of rubber or of any other suitable flexible material and forms a valve, closed during washing and opening for the discharge of water from the bottom of the tub during the extracting operation. The flexible band 65 may be suitably secured to the tub above the apertures 63 and may flexibly engage the tub beneath said apertures, and moves away from said apertures to open the same upon spinning of the tub. Said valve 65 is thus centrifugally operated to accommodate the discharge of water, dirt and sand from the bottom of the tub through the apertures 63, and prevent the recirculation of the dirt, sand, etc. through the clothes as has heretofore been done when discharging the water from the clothes from the top of the clothes container.

The oscillating drive to the shaft 17' and agitator 16 from the motor 14 is shown as including a drive pulley 67 mounted on a sleeve or hub 69 journaled on the shaft 17 on a bearing member 70. The pulley 67 is shown as being driven from the motor 14 by means of a belt 71 driven from a pulley 72 on the upper end of a motor shaft 73. The hub 69 is shown as abutting the bottom of a drive sleeve 74 for rotatably driving the clothes container 15. The drive sleeve 74 is journalled on the shaft 17 on spaced bearing members 74a, 74b and is rotatably driven from a drive member 75 keyed or otherwise secured thereto and abutting the hub 69.

The drive from the pulley 67 and hub 69 is through a one way clutch, herein shown as being a spring clutch including a fiat coiled helical spring 68 secured at one end to the web of the pulley 67 and wrapped about the hub 69 and drive member 75. Upon rotation of the motor 14 and pulley 67 in one direction the spring 68 will wrap around the drive member .75 and rotatably drive the same, and upon reverse rotation of the motor 14 and pulley 67, the spring 68 will be released from said drive member, and spinning of the clothes container 15 will stop.

A flat coil spring 76 is connected to the web of the drive pulley 67 at one of its end and depends therefrom. The spring 76 is shown as encircling a hub 77 of a pulley 78, to wrap therearound and rotatably drive the same upon reversal in the direction of rotation of the motor 14 from its direction of rotation when driving drive member 75 from the spring 68. The spring clutches formed by the coiled springs 68 and 76 are well known to those skilled in the art so need not herein be shown or described further.

The pulley '78 rotatably driven by the pulley 67 through the spring clutch 76 drives a spaced pulley '79 by means of a belt 80. The pulley 79 is shown as being secured to the upper end of a crank shaft 81 journaled in a bearing support 82 on the outer end of the bracket 23. A crank arm 23 is shown as being secured to the lower end of the crank shaft 81 and as being rotatably driven therefrom through a drive pin 84. A connecting rod 85 is journalled on a crank pin 86 depending from the crank arm 83. The connecting rod 85 is connected at its opposite end to a rocking or oscillating arm 37 on a depending crank pin 88. The oscillating arm 87 is shown as being journalled on the shaft 17 and as having upwardly facing clutch jaws 89, 89 engageable with depending jaws 90, 90 of a clutch member 91. The clutch member 91 is shown as being feathered to a sleeve 92, keyed or otherwise secured to the vertical shaft 17, to oscillatably drive said shaft upon engagement of the clutch jaws 89, with the clutch jaws 90.

The clutch member '91 may be operated by a suitable clutch fork and collar mechanism 93, to engage the clutch jaws 89 with the clutch jaws 90 when the motor 14 is rotating in a direction to wrap the spring 76 around the hub of the pulley 74- to drive said pulley from the pulley 67.

Referring now in particular to the vibration damper restraining the shaft 17, drive sleeve 74 and clothes container 15 from oscillating movement during spinning of the clothes container 15, a damping plate 95 is shown as being mounted on a sleeve 96, mounted on a bearing member 97 encircling and mounted on the drive sleeve 74, for slidable movement therealong. The damping plate 95 may be of a pressed steel construction having a downwardly pressed central hub 99 secured to the sleeve 96 as by welding, and having an upwardly inclined rim 100 and a downwardly inclined flange 101 extending radially therefrom, and of substantially the same inclination as the inclination of the undersurface of the annular section 32 of the collar 31. An annular friction disk 103 is shown as being mounted on the flange 10.1 for engagement with the under surface of said annular section 32, to frictionally restrain movement of the shaft 17 and sleeve 73 with respect to the tub 11 about axes extending transversely of said shaft and sleeve. The disk 103 is shown as being biased into frictional engagement with the bottom of the annular section 32 of the collar 31 by a compression spring 117 encircling the sleeve 96 and interposed betwecn a hearing member 118 on the drive member 73 and the bottom of the hub 99.

Transverse movement of the damping plate 95 is shown as being further restrained by a plurality of tension springs 104, 104-. The tension springs 104, 104 are equally spaced, and as herein shown, each tension spring 104 is hooked to a depending tab 105 which may be pressed from the bottom of the plate 95. The opposite end of each tension spring 104 is shown as being hooked to a leg of an angle 26 (see Figure 1).

An annular bearing plate 107 is shown as resting on the upper surface of the damping plate 95. The bearing plate 107 forms a bearing support for a pressure plate 109, supporting said plate on the plate 95 for rotatable movement with respect thereto. The pressure plate 109 is shown as being of a generally annular form, having a plurality of radial tracks 110, 110 extending along its top surface and forming guides for weighted segments 111, 111. The plate 109 may be feather keyed or otherwise slidably secured to the drive sleeve 73 to be rotatably driven by said sleeve, and to be vertically moved along said sleeve as the weights 111, 111 are moved outwardly along the tracks110, 110 by centrifugal force, as will now be described.

masses As herein shownthe weights 111, 1 11 are in the.form of segments of a circle and are retained in aninward.

reaction plate 116 is rotated with the pressure plate 95 by guide fingers 119, 119 extending angularly from said pressure plate having slidable engagement with slotted portions 120 of said reaction plate.

Thus as the sleeve 73 is rotatably driven through the spring clutch 63 and as the clothes container 15 approaches its critical speed, the weighted segments 111, 111 forced outwardly along the guide tracks 110, 110 by centrifugal action and engaging the. reaction plate 116, will force the pressure plate 109 and dampening plate 95 to move downwardly against the compression spring 117 in an obvious manner. This will release the annular friction block 103 from the under surface of the spherical portion 32 of the collar 34 and disengage the dampener when the basket comes up to its critical speed and thus is balanced. The weighted segments 111, 111 are returned.

inwardly along the guide tracks by means of annular tension spring 113 encircling the peripheries of said segments.

The tub 11 is provided with a recessed discharge opening 123 formed therein. The recessed opening 123 has an annular flanged portion 124 fitting within an outwardly opening annular groove 125 formed in a discharge conduit 126 extending along the top of said flange within said discharge opening and sealing said opening to prevent the leakage of fluid therethrough, except through said conduit. The conduit 126 is shown as being held in sealing engagement with the recessed opening 123 by a snap ring 130 snapped within an inwardly opening recess formed in said conduit 126 above the flange 124.

An upper surface 127 of the conduit 126 is shown as being inclined downwardly toward the opening through said conduit and as forming a seat for a float 131.

The float 131 is herein shown as being of an inverted cup-like form having a downwardly facing annular rim 132 engaging the upper surface 127 of the conduit 126 and seating there'against. Passageways 136 are provided in the wall of said float to accommodate water to pass therethrough. The float 131 is shown ashaving acentral depending boss 133, to which is secured a shut-off switch operating rod 134. The operating rod 134 is shown as depending from the boss 133 within the conduit 126 and as being bent to extend at right angles with respect thereto through a flexible boss 137, to which it is' secured. The boss 137 is formed integrally with a thin diaphragm portion 139 of the wall of the conduit 126. The diaphragm portion 139 and boss 137 of the conduit 126 react against the rod 134 and form a pivot therefor. The diaphragm portion 137 is sufliciently thin and flexible to accommodate the operating rod 134 to be pivoted an upward direction about the boss 137 by the pressure of water under said float, to raise the rim 132 above the seat 127. An end portion 138 of the rod 134, extending through the boss 137, is diagrammatically shown in Figure 5 as being connected to an operating arm 140 of a switch 141. The switch 141 may completea circuit to the water filling valve (not shown) for the clothes container, to deenergize said valve and stop filling ofthe clothes container, when the float 131 is disengaged from its seat. p

It may be seen from the foregoing that a simplified form of float control has been provided, which is operative d to close the filling valve for the clothes container 15, where the clothes container may overflow into the tub 11 and fill the hose 126 to the prunp, at which time water under the float will cause it to rise and operate the switch 141 and shut off the electrical circuit to the filling valve. 7

It may also be seen that a new and improved form of combined washing and extracting machine has been provided for washing clothes with an oscillating clothes washing action and forextracting water therefrom and partially drying the same by a centrifugal action.

It may further be seen that the discharge of water extracted from the clothes is from the bottom of the clothes container under the control of a simplified form of centrifugally actuated valve, eliminating the circulation of dirty water and sand through the clothes during the extracting of water therefrom.

I Itmay still further be seen that a novel and improved vibration dampening mechanism has been provided which is operative during unbalanced rotation of the clothes container and is releasable when the clothes container attains its critical speed of rotation.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

, I claim as my invention:

1. A laundry machine comprising a frame structure, a clothes container rotatably mounted therein, a motor, means driven by said motor for rotatably driving said clothes container including an upright shaft, means damping vibration of said shaft and clothes container comprising a vibration damping member encircling said shaft and yieldably restrained from radial movement with respect to said'shaft and having frictional engagement with said frame structure, and centrifugally actuated means operatively connected with said damping member for releasing the same from said frame structure when said clothes container attains its critical speed of rotation.

2. A laundry machine comprising a frame structure, a clothes container rotatably mounted therein, a motor, means driven by said motor for rotatably driving said clothes container including an upright shaft, means damping vibration of said shaft and clothes container comprising a vibration damping member encircling said shaft, and journaledthereon, yieldable means restraining radial movement of said damping member and shaft, means frictionally engaging said vibration damping member with said frame, and centrifugally actuated weight means guided for radial movement along said damping member and rotatably driven by said shaft for releasing said damping member from said frame structure upon a critical speed of rotation of said clothes container.

3. A laundry machine comprising a frame structure, a clothes container rotatably mounted therein, a motor, and means driven by said motor for rotatably driving said clothes container including an upright shaft, a non-rotatable vibration damping member journaled on said shaft and mounted for axial movement therealong, said member having a friction block thereon engagcable with said frame structure, spring means engaging said damping member and biasing said friction block into engagement with said frame structure to restrain relative movement between said shaft and said frame structure, spring means connected between said frame structure and damping member for yieldably restraining radial movement of said damping member with respect to said frame structure, and means releasing said friction block from said frame structure upon said clothes container attaining a critical speed of rotation, comprising diametrically opposed weights rotatably driven by said shaft and guided for radial movement with respect thereto, and an operative connection 1 between said weights and vibration damping member moving said. damping member and friction block along said shaft against the spring bias thereof to disengage said friction block upon the attainment by said clothes container of a critical speed of rotation.

4. A laundry machine comprising a frame structure, a

clothes container rotatably mounted thereon, a motor, means driven by said motor for rotatably driving said clothes container including an upright shaft, means damping vibration of said shaft and clothes container comprising a non-rotatable vibration damping member journaled on said shaft and mounted for axial movement therealong,

a friction block on said clamping member, spring means.

engaging said friction block With said frame structure, other spring means connected with said damping member at a plurality of equally spaced points for restraining radial movement of said member and shaft, a pressure plate rotatably driven by said shaft and supported on said,

damping member, a plurality of diametrically opposed weighted members guided for radial movement along said pressure plate, spring means maintaining said weighted members inwardly of said pressure plate, and a reaction member mounted on said shaft for rotation with said pres-.

sure plate and held from axial movement with respect thereto and having an engaging surface inclined downwardly from said shaft, engaging the upper surfaces of said weights, rotational movement of said weights moving said weights outwardly along said pressure plate by centrifugal force at a critical speed of rotation of said clothes container to depress said pressure plate and damping member against said spring and release said friction block. from said frame structure.

5. In a combined washing and extracting machine, a frame structure having a tub therein, a clothes container mounted within said tub for rotation about a vertical axis, a vertical shaft rotatably supporting said clothes container and spinning the same, a motor, means driven by said motor for rotatably driving said shaft, means damping oscillatable movement of said shaft and container comprising a vibration damping member journaled on said shaft and mounted thereon for axial movement therealong, spring means connected between said frame structure and damping member restraining rotatable and radial movement thereof, said damping member having a friction block on the upper face thereof engageable with said tub, spring means biasing said member and block into engagement with said tub, and a plurality of balanced diametrically opposed weights guided for radial movement with respect to said shaft and rotatably driven thereby upon the rotation of said shaft at a predetermined critical speed of rotation and having operative connection with said vibration damping member, for releasing said friction block from said tub upon outward movement of said weights with respect to said shaft.

6. In a combined washing and extracting machine, a tub, a clothes container mounted therein for rotation about a vertical axis, a motor, means driven by said motor for spinning said clothes container to extract water from the clothes therein, including a vertical shaft, means damping unbalanced rotation of said clothes container and shaft comprising a vibration damping member encircling said shaft, means holding said vibration damping member from rotation and restraining radial movement thereof, comprising a plurality of tension springs connected with said vibration damping member at equally spaced points, friction means on said damping member engageable with the bottom of said tub for frictionally restraining radial movement of said clamping member with respect to said tub, spring means engaging said damping member and yieldably biasing said friction means into engagement with the bottom of said tub, means actuated by cen rifugal force for releasing said friction means at a predetermined critical speed of rotation of said clothes container comprising a plurality of balanced weighted members rotatably driven from said shaft and guided for radial movement with respect thereto, spring means biasing said members inwardly of said shaft, and pressure means actuated by outward movement of said Weighted members by centrifugal force for depressing said damping member against its yieldable biasing means and releasing said friction means from the bottom of said tub.

7. In a combined washing and extracting machine, a cabinet containing a tub, a clothes container rotatably mounted in said tub, an agitator within said clothes container, a motor mounted in said cabinet beneath said tub, means driven by said motor for oscillatably driving said agitator comprising a vertical shaft, other means driven by said motor for spinning said clothes container to extract water from the clothes therein, including a vertical shaft encircling said first shaft, means damping vibration of said shaft and clothes container comprising a vibration damping member journaled on said second shaft, a plurality of opposed tension springs connected from said cabinet to said damping member for yieldably restraining radial movement of said damping member, friction means on said damping member, a compression spring biasing said friction means into engagement with the bottom of said tub, and centrifugally actuated means for releasing said friction means from the bottom of said tub upon the attaining of a critical speed of rotation by said clothes container, comprising a plurality of equally spaced radially guided balanced weights encircling said shafts, spring means biasing said weights into engagement with said second shaft, a reaction member mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith and held from axial movement therealong, said member having a generally spherical concave engaging face having engagement with said weights and depressing the same to move said damping member against its spring bias and release said friction means from the bottom of said tub upon outward movement of said weights against said spring means, when said clothes container reaches its critical speed of rotation.

8. In a combined washing and extracting machine, a cabinet, a tub in said cabinet and spaced above the bottom thereof, a clothes container mounted in said cabinet for rotation about a vertical axis, a motor, means driven by said motor for spinning said clothes container to extract water from the clothes therein, including a vertical shaft having said clothes container mounted thereon, means damping oscillatory movement of said clothes container and shaft comprising a vibration damping member journaled on said shaft, a plurality of equally spaced opposed springs connected from said cabinet to said damping member to restrain radial movement thereof, a friction disk on said damping member engageable with the bottom of said tub, compression spring means engaging said disk with the bottom of said tub, and centrifugally actuated means for releasing said disk from the bottom of said tub when said clothes container attains a critical speed of rotation, comprising a pressure plate rotatably mounted on said damping member and rotatably driven by said shaft, a plurality of equally spaced balanced weights guided on said pressure plate for radial movement therealong by the centrifugal action of rotation of said plate, spring means biasing said weights toward said shaft, and means cooperating with said weights for depressing said pressure plate and clamping member and releasing said friction disk from said tub, comprising a reaction plate mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith and held from vertical movement with respect thereto, said reaction plate having a concave engaging surface facing said weights and having slidable engagement therewith for depressing said pressure plate and damping member against said compression spring means upon outward movement of said Weights along said pressure plate effected by centrifugal action of said pressure plate at the critical speed of rotation of said clothes container.

9. A float particularly adapted for clothes Washing machine tubs having an outlet leading from the bottom of the tub, a seat encircling said outlet and having a flexible conduit leading therefrom, an inverted cap like float, engageable with said seat, an operating member extending from said float along said conduit and through 9 the wall portion of reduced thickness and embedded therein, said wall portion of reduced thickness forming a movable pivot for said operating member and float, to accommodate opening of the float by the action of the water within said conduit.

10. In a float, a downwardly opening outlet having a flexible seat encircling the same and a flexible conduit leading therefrom through said outlet, a float member having a closed top and annular rim extending therefrom for engagement with said seat and flow openings for the passage of water therethrough, an operating rod secured to and extending downwardly from said closed top and through a wall of said conduit and sealed thereto, and switching means connected with the free end of said operating rod and operated upon movement of said float out of engagement with said seat by the action of the water thereunder.

11. In a float, a downwardly opening outlet having an upwardly facing flexible seat encircling said outlet and a flexible conduit leading from said seat through said outlet, a float member of an inverted cap-like form having a closed top and an annular rim depending therefrom for engagement with said seat, an operating rod forming a fulcrum for said float, said rod being rigidly secured to said top and depending therefrom through said outlet, said conduit having a wall portion of reduced thickness having a boss extending from opposite sides thereof, said operating rod extending at an angle to the depending portion thereof through said boss and being secured thereto, said boss forming a movable fulcrum for said rod to accommodate movement of said float out of engagement with said seat by the force of the water acting thereagainst, and the free end of said rod forming a switch operating member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,396,105 Kirby Mar. 5, 1946 2,561,257 Woodson July 17, 1951 2,612,766 Smith et al. Oct. 7, 1952 2,641,918 Smith June 16, 1953 

